Religious leaders overwhelmingly condemn Trump ending DACA

September 5, 2017

10 Min Read

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) supporters march to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office to protest shortly after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' announcement that DACA will be suspended with a six-month delay on Sept. 5, 2017, in Phoenix, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

That program, which the president ordered rescinded on Tuesday (Sept. 5), protected young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or whose families overstayed their visas from deportation.

There were few exceptions to the condemnation, among them Pastor Mark Burns of Harvest Praise and Worship Center in South Carolina, who has close ties to the president. Burns tweeted that rescinding DACA was “good because #Americans are #Dreamers too…#AmericaFirst.”

Here is a roundup of religious reactions to the president’s action on DACA.

USCCB

The president, vice president and chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a statement, saying “cancellation of the DACA program is reprehensible.” It reads in part:

“The Catholic Church has long watched with pride and admiration as DACA youth live out their daily lives with hope and a determination to flourish and contribute to society: continuing to work and provide for their families, continuing to serve in the military, and continuing to receive an education. Now, after months of anxiety and fear about their futures, these brave young people face deportation. This decision is unacceptable and does not reflect who we are as Americans.

Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich

Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich. Courtesy of the Archdiocese of Chicago

“In the past the president stated that the Dreamer story ‘is about the heart,’ yet today’s decision is nothing short of heartless. The Dreamers are now left in a six-month limbo, during which Congress is supposed to pass comprehensive immigration reform, a feat they have been unable to achieve for a decade. In fact, this inability to agree on a just immigration system led President Obama to sign the executive order protecting minor children brought to this country by their parents. As the considerations of the “heart” seemed to be insufficient to keep protection in place, Congress must now act decisively and swiftly.”

“Within the Jewish community, many of our own families are alive today because of the relatively open immigration policies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And too many Jews died after being trapped in Europe when the borders closed in 1924. We understand the cruelty of forcing Dreamers back to the countries where they were born, but in many cases have never lived, and where — in some cases — their lives will be in danger.”

Tim Head, executive director of Faith & Freedom Coalition

“As the federal courts were about to rule President Obama’s DACA program unconstitutional, President Donald J. Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions took proper, pro-active action to phase out the program delivering on their (commitment) to the rule of law and giving Congress time to pass immigration reforms that secures our borders, protects American workers, and deals with those already here. Trump’s executive action is both compassionate toward all who those who have come to our country and prevents mass deportations that could have resulted from the impending federal court ruling that could break apart immigrant families. President Trump and his administration continue to focus Homeland Security resources on deporting criminals and visa overstays, and not on children who were brought to this country through no choice of their own.”

David Silverman, president of American Atheists

“I have no doubt that countless DACA recipients were brought to our nation because of our commitment to religious freedom, religious equality, and government neutrality. I fight to protect those commitments and I will fight to protect those who come to the United States in search of them. Just as atheists are your friends, neighbors, and classmates, DACA recipients are as well. This is an issue that impacts us all.”

Tim Breene, CEO of World Relief

“These Dreamers have willingly worked with the government in good faith in order to pursue their dreams living in the United States, the only home many of them have ever known. The decision to end DACA puts them in a more precarious situation, but we hope Congress will prioritize a legislative solution that will allow these Dreamers to flourish in our country.”

Lynne Hybels, activist

Lynne Hybels, who started Willow Creek Community Church in suburban Chicago with her husband, Rev. Bill Hybels, wrote an op-ed Monday for her local newspaper, the Daily Herald, titled, “Show young immigrants America’s promise is real.”

Hybels also shared her thoughts in a statement released before Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the Trump administration’s decision Tuesday:

“Our church is deeply invested in serving the immigrant community in the Chicagoland area. We’ve hosted workshops helping dozens of brave young people to apply for the DACA program. We’ve witnessed firsthand the hope that the DACA program has brought to individuals who have wanted nothing more than the chance to pursue an education and lead a productive life, just as our own children have done. To end the program now, without action from Congress first, would be devastating—for them and for the communities that benefit from their work, ingenuity, and courage.”

Rev. Félix Cabrera, lead pastor of Iglesia Bautista Central in Oklahoma City and co-founder of Hispanic Baptist Pastors Alliance

“To end the DACA program now would be immoral, violating the trust of young immigrants, including those within my congregation and many other Hispanic Southern Baptists throughout the country, who trusted the federal government when it asked them to register and provide their personal information. … Rather than taking another step that will exacerbate ethnic and political divisions in our nation, I pray that President Trump and Congressional Leaders from both parties will work together to pass legislation to protect Dreamers, and in the process help to unify our nation.”

Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc Jewish Action

“President Trump has threatened to end DACA – to target hundreds of thousands of long-term residents of the United States for deportation, even though they were brought here as children and have built their lives here. This would be heartbreaking, but not surprising. His rhetoric about immigrants has been consistently cruel from the beginning. Now, emboldened by the ascendancy of white supremacy in the public sphere, he is escalating into ever more explicit racism.”

National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

The NHCLC announced a national campaign Tuesday to put “unrelenting pressure” on Congress to find a permanent solution for “DREAMers.”

Its president, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, released a statement that said in part:

“I am disappointed that these protections are ending, and I’ve expressed that disappointment to the White House, directly. I also understand why they chose this course of action. If the fate of DAPA is any indication, then it was only a matter of time before DACA would face a similar fate in the courts and, in fact, the entire program could be ceased immediately by a court order rather than being phased out. … We do not intend on letting a single member of Congress have a good night’s rest until they guarantee our young people can rest easy. We will not be silent until every DREAMer can dream again.”

Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations

Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations. Photo courtesy the Council on American Islamic Relations

“The American Muslim community and CAIR stand with the 800,000 undocumented young people who were brought to our nation as children, who call the United States home and whose only dream is to come out of the shadows and to stay where they belong. By terminating DACA, even with a six-month delay or ‘wind down,’ President Trump is pandering to the demands of anti-immigrant extremists and harming our nation by targeting some of the most dynamic and success-oriented members of society. In practical terms, the ‘delay’ in implementing the termination is meaningless for the vast majority of Dreamers and will inevitably result in chaos in their lives.”

Erwin McManus, founder of MOSAIC in Los Angeles

“The roughly 800,000 people who have benefitted from the DACA program—more of whom live in in my city of Los Angeles than anywhere else in the country—are American in every way except on paper. They are not to be feared but embraced as immigrants who define the American spirit. We are a nation of immigrants. We are a nation defined by openness and inclusion. We are big enough to rise above this challenge and choose the path that elevates the best in all of us.”

Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK

“As people of faith, we are called to love thy neighbor. Make no mistake: Dreamers, who have been here for at least a decade and call the U.S. their home, are our neighbors … Our nation’s Dreamers and their families deserve our full support and protection.”

Leith Anderson, president of National Association of Evangelicals

“Americans may have a variety of views on the broader questions of immigration policy, but most agree that those who were brought to this country as children — and who have grown up here — should not be punished for the actions of their parents. Many of these young people are already deeply integrated into our churches and communities, and most know no other country than the United States.”

Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO of Faith in Public Life

“Preserving immigrant families and sustaining the dreams of our immigrant brothers and sisters is both a moral and theological duty. An attack on immigrants is an attack on the church. That which President Trump does to these people, he does to Jesus.”

“As Jews, our people have known the experience of being ‘strangers in strange lands.’ Our past reminds us of the struggles faced by so many immigrants today. Because of this history, Judaism demands that we welcome the stranger and compels us to work for a just immigration system. It is imperative that Congress step up in support of these young people who grew up in the United States and who want to give back to the only country they know as home.”

Nanci Palacios, DACA recipient and lead organizer for Faith in Florida

“As an undocumented woman with deferred action, it doesn’t surprise me that Donald Trump is ending DACA. To the president, this is about politics not about real human lives. It’s infuriating and devastating that the president is using us as political scapegoats but not surprising. Ending DACA means I will have to put my education on hold and worry about driving without a license as in the past. However, I along with other DREAMErs will not stay silent and we will continue to fight to preserve DACA and fight for relief for all families. I will not be afraid and we will not let him push us back into the shadows.”

I’m sorry to be less than diplomatic, but these religious leaders are idiots, and they know nothing about the constitutional separation of powers. Immigration law is the purview of congress, not the executive. Obama’s DACA declaration was unconstitutional. It was an executive order he decided to enact because congress wouldn’t give him the law he wanted. Even then Obama described DACA as a “temporary, stopgap measure.” Now President Trump is giving congress the opportunity to do its duty, and he’s even given them a six month window to do it. Unlike the authoritarian Obama, this president actually wants to uphold the constitution. And he deserves praise for it, not the whining of religious ignoramuses.

Trump is playing a game of Chicken with Congress and the courts on this topic. The courts could easily knocked down the Obama era policy. Congress’s Republicans now needs to grow up and start to govern the country not just be against Obama and throw some meat at their rightwing base Immigration is a mess because of a number of conflicting agendas going back to Reagan. This current mess is the outcome of unenforced immigration and labor laws. For those kids caught in the middle who have assimilated (acquired an employable skill or attend post high school education/ learned the basic language) and kept on the right side of the law while trying to make something for themselves, good luck with this Congress..

Good point. Congress is getting even lower marks than the media now. Oh well, they’ll probably just punt again, but we’ll see. No more excuses, though. They have a president that will sign whatever they come up with. Obama is no longer an excuse they can hide behind.

So I am a Rabbi and a lawyer and it’s an embarrassment to me that religious leaders have no concept of how law and faith work together. We are not called to be lawless believers. Quite the contrary, we are called to obey the laws of the land whether in the Old or New Testaments. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was a good example of how law and faith connect.
If you came to the US illegally, you can dream for a path of citizenship if the law permits it. What President Obama was to illegally enact a program that people came to rely on expecting no one would have the nerve to call his bluff. He just usurped the legislative power of the Congress even while he proclaimed he had no lawful power to do it. That’s properly called tyranny. Every country expects people to obey the existing laws of the land whether they are a citizen, or one who hopes to be if they entered the country legally. This issue has nothing to do with race, national origin, compassion or hope. It has to do with whether we are a nation of laws or a nation of men. Let the Congress do its job and enact legislation to reform our immigration system. Until then, if you entered the US illegally you are an illegal alien and not an immigrant. Immigrants who become citizens pledge to obey the Constitution and the laws of the land. Real compassion is reflected in helping to make changes in our laws and not helping people violate laws that protect its citizens. And that’s my two shekels.

Not so. Obama’s actions were illegal. Trump’s getting the process back on track. The Congress may not enact DACA or they may change it. Obama’s illegal and unconstitutional stroke of the pen is quite different than the 535 votes of the House and Senate.

Expressing an opinion that DACA should be law, that’s fine. Lambasting Trump for doing his constitutional duty by returning responsibility for deciding whether DACA should be law to Congress, that demonstrates either profound ignorance of the Constitution or profound disrespect for Rule of Law. If a government official lacks the authority to do something it doesn’t matter how good an idea it is, he doesn’t do it.

“Lambasting Trump for doing his constitutional duty by returning responsibility for deciding whether DACA should be law to Congress, that demonstrates either profound ignorance of the Constitution or profound disrespect for Rule of Law.”

Or it could be just another opportunity to lambaste Trump, just for fun.

I am sorry to be less than diplomatic to all of the supporters of Trump’s action here, but they are showing a clear malicious, immoral, and frankly bigoted nature. To put it mildly, they are of low character.

The whole notion of discarding 800,000 people who have willingly submitted their lives to government scrutiny and shown a desire to serve our country in order to earn their place here is absolutely atrocious. There is no government/national interest served here. This is simply betraying the trust of people who are more than capable of doing well for our country. People who put their trust in our government who now may suffer for doing so. Their bad! That is what they get for expecting political leaders like the Malicious Mango to act in any way which is appropriate, sane, moral or shows an inkling of humanity.

To willfully discard people who did not come here by their own volition, who have no other means of being able to stay here, who are willing to serve our nation to earn a place here, that is an abomination. An act which is guided largely by racism, by sheer malice, and appeals to ignorance.

Its one thing to talk about upholding the law, but how many people using such arguments about immigration really bother to learn what those laws are? The argument rings hollow largely from the willful ignorance of those who use it. It sound like from you an excuse to distance yourself from the humanity of the situation. To find ways to reduce 800,000 people to merely “law breakers” and declare them non-people.

You talk of Obama’s actions and legality, but you are far too dishonest and spineless to talk of the real effects and the real people being affected here.

One would think a Rabbi would have the decency, sense of propriety and sense of history to avoid such actions. But then again, the main support of Trump is that he makes lizard brain blind malice into political action. People who want to treat others like crap find a friend in him.

Its more like lambasting Trump for betraying and willfully discarding 800,000 people willing to serve our nation and subject themselves to government scrutiny because he wants to appeal to bigotry and really nothing else.

What is served by getting rid of these people? To make an example of them as “upholding the law”? Nonsense. These are not willful lawbreakers. They did not come here by their own volition. They are willing to work to earn their place here. Going after them is just pure unrestrained malice. Calling it Rule of Law is an abomination. Laws with draconian and counterproductive effects are not worth respect in a democratic society. We are not expected to blindly follow leaders here.

So you commented as such about Trump’s Evangelical support group as described in a previous article? Probably not. As I see it, its not the entanglement of church and good governance that annoys your crowd. Its who is doing the engangling.

People like you only trot out that kind of bile when it is progressive religious groups speaking out. Conservatives undermining 1st Amendment religious freedoms narry get a mention from your crowd.

How would it ever be possible for a world like Orwell’s 1984 to develop. I never thought it possible because I assumed that should the government seek to restrict freedom and impose tyranny the people would rise up. But now I understand. Now I understand how places like North Korea happen. People themselves do it.

When the people, seeking a selfish outcome, begin to tolerate their own government ignoring and disobeying law, they have empowered tyranny. When the people invest power into an official that extends beyond Constitutional government, (as in granting the President the permission through executive order to do what is entrusted to the legislature), tyranny is enabled. Maybe just a little tyranny, maybe for a noble reason. But a precedent is set. Small precedents gain traction and have trajectory and lead to worlds like 1984. I agree with our President. There is a right way to handle the problem with children brought into the United States who are currently without legal status. The assumption of power by the executive is not the appropriate way. Legislative process is.

There are many complicated issues here. I work in the world of security. A blanket licensure or amnesty or decision to not enforce immigration law runs risks. Not every single young person who is here without documentation is a nice person. Some of them are involved in dangerous gang activity that is the 21st century version of organized crimes. Some of them have and are willing to use violence to achieve their personal and corporate goals. Some of them are from areas of the world that have a high preponderance of radicalized militants and are susceptible to these messages. There needs to be a gracious path forward for these children and young adults, but my office is calling for extreme vetting of any potential candidate. We should welcome good people. The evil should be sent home.

I would disagree. Obama’s order gave the legislature top cover and political cover because action was no longer required or urgent. The problem was solved through a virtual amnesty but creating a precedent that the executive can determine for himself or herself what laws he or she will enforce. One person has been granted far more power than the Constitution every envisioned. Obama’s action allowed for the precedent of the transfer of Constitutional power from one branch to another without proper Constitutional reviews (such as through an Amendment) but rather through the assumption of the man in the chair with a pen.

One man, one chair, one pen. No one should have that much power in a republic built on a representation democracy framed with Constitutional authorities and limitations.

As a former college prof and retired mgt, consultant, I’ve known and worked with several of these so-called “Dreamers,” and in my past experienceI’ve have found the to be smart, hard working and dedicated students. I’m a strong supporter of President Trump’s efforts to, “Make America Great Again,” (as our former president seemed to work hard to make America just another third world country and allow the depots and dictators equal to have footing with the other countries of the world!)

In this case, I am finding President Trump’s HARASSMENT of the Dreamers to be TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! We’re all immigrants from somewhere else, and most of us are believers in Emma Lazarus’ great poem at the base of the Statue of Liberty, which says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . .” and we want to see these very deserving kids succeed in becoming proud and productive Americans!

Regardless, it didn’t stop Congress from acting. I think the notion of the order being unconstitutional is overblow anyway. Maybe it was maybe it wasn’t. Trump gave a couple of exec orders that were deemed “unconstitutional”. They were flagged and stopped. The system worked. There was nothing to prevent that in Obama’s case. Apparently the public didn’t have a big objection to it.

Sorry, but gotta wonder if these folks condemned Obama when he unconstitutionally created DACA to start with. This, despite his own numerous statements to that effect.
DACA is, in and of itself, a good policy. Unfortunately it is also an unconstitutional policy. NO SITTING POTUS has, or should have the authority to create his own policy. DACA was simply a way to go around a congress that has refused to act. And just as a POTUS gave, another is taking away.
It really is that simple.
This is one time where Trump, by accident or design, is right.
Want to keep DACA? I do. But I want it to be constitutional. Instead of hammering the POTUS over his decision to end an unconstitutional law. Instead of using your time and effort to criticize Trump, use it to contact your congressional representatives and start pressuring them to do their jobs.
This whole thing with DACA could be over in a couple days. Heck, we could have an entirely new and fixed immigration policy within weeks (which is what I suspect Trump is after), if congress would simply do their jobs.
On the other hand, good luck with that.

DACA wasn’t a way around – it was intended to provide a temporary solution or reprieve from deportation until a legislative fix was enacted allowing these folks to apply to be immigrants was passed which did not happen – no magic 60.. Deferred action was a policy used by other Presidents – for example, after Katrina

Divided opinion as to whether or not it was constitutional. 4 -4 decision in 2016

It gives me hope that the religious community has stood as one to give moral guidance to our country.

Anybody who says the religious leaders are idiots for not deferring to the US Constitution are confused about what the point of being a religious leader is. Laws are made by humans. Morality is from God. Which one do you think we should change when there is a conflict?

” Not every single young person who is here without documentation is a
nice person. Some of them are involved in dangerous gang activity that
is the 21st century version of organized crimes. Some of them have and
are willing to use violence to achieve their personal and corporate
goals. Some of them are from areas of the world that have a high
preponderance of radicalized militants and are susceptible to these
messages.”

In your ignorance, you failed to realize that every one of the people covered by DACA has willingly submitted themselves and their lives to government scrutiny in exchange for being covered by its provisions. Any kind of criminal record would have gotten them booted from the system. But that requires thinking of them as people and not nativist talking points. That is just some grade A nonsense demonization and dehumanization you had going right there.

” We should welcome good people. The evil should be sent home.”
Some welcome there. Trump is intentionally attacking people willing to serve the country and comply with whatever provisions given to them in order to earn their place here. That is willfully throwing away good people right there. Too bad the evil here are the ones already home.

Riiight, because they are suddenly no longer human beings who made a concerted effort to serve our country to earn their place here. Throwing around labels like “illegal” doesn’t change the fact that these people did not come here by their own volition and are essentially the victims of poorly conceived immigration laws/policy. Why treat them like people when you can just froth at the mouth and call for hauling them away.

Its amazing what kind of sociopathic malicious BS you guys come up with in order to find excuses for discarding 800,000 people who put their interests in harms way in order to find a way to legally stay here. Of course the answer to my question has been given. You have no sense of decency.

Oh, aren’t you, whoever you are, just so nice, and virtuous, and caring, and just wonderful! I think you are sooooo wonderful, you’d just let every person on earth come to America, no questions asked. Open borders is death to America, and I’m sure that would be just fine with you. That’s always been modern liberalism’s goal anyway. I have more decency in my pinky than all you and your liberal socialist leftist brothers and sisters put together. Liberalism is death, so thanks for that.

Hey, I have yet to see a compelling interest in tossing out 800,000 people willing to serve our country other than a bunch of ignorant bigots howling for blood.

“Open borders is death to America, and I’m sure that would be just fine with you.”

Said nothing about borders. A typical bullsh1t argument from your crowd to divert attention from your lack of knowledge about immigration laws. I guess making up phony arguments is far easier than defending a point of view which is based entirely in acting badly for its own sake.

Frankly I am more virtuous and caring than you. You are a raging turd of a human being. I am not trying to dehumanize and discard a multiude of people because of ???? wtf were the reasons for this policy again? To make examples of them and attack more brown skinned people for sh1ts and giggles.

Who said anything about tossing out 800,000 people, you ignorant bigot. You are a phony, and I can call names just as easily as you, and I have to guts to put my real name, and even picture there to prove it, you self-righteous dehumanized discarded image of a whatever you are. Hey, this is kind of fun, hurling invective and letting the emotions roil. Maybe I’ll become a liberal after all! Cheers!

With the suspension of DACA, a comprehensive answer to immigration is necessary, not just for the young people covered by DACA but for all the young people who are here. Indeed, it is time that we deal with immigration period. We should be welcoming and compassionate within in the boundaries necessary to preserve our nation which includes security (keeping evil people out) and looking at how many new people our national system actually needs and can sustain and what the impact is. How many jobs would it generate? How much taxpayer money would be diverted from citizens born here? How many jobs would be transferred from citizens born here to folks coming in. I support a reasonable rational and legal immigration system.

An open boundary is a death knell for any system be it a living cell, a home/family or a nation.

Mike, some folks just can’t get their head around empirical data. They can’t accept or deal with the real world and so live in fantasy land and demand everyone else jump down the rabbit hole with them. The unfortunate thing is that they do gum up the works at times (when they occupy positions of authority) and slow down a productive rational approach to our national security problems. But fortunately, after eight years, I see a major shift of transition, at least around here, and we are finally starting to get back to getting the job done.

Exactly. In a republican democracy there is a proper way to get where we need to go. Assumption of power and authority by the executive is dangerous to the check and balances of our Constitutional system.

So we risk scr3wing over people a multitude of people who are cooperating with the government and relying on them in exchange for a place here to do it? No. That is just Trump finding another group to attack to shore up his support with ignorant bigots/nativists.

As for your questions the answers are there for those looking for reliable, objective sources. Immigration is both a net positive economically it works well to strengthen the nation ideologically.

Your issue about citizens losing jobs to immigrants is way out of touch with modern reality. Immigration brings foreign investment here and expands markets meaning more jobs for the nation, not fewer. Workplace visa programs require positions which local skills or education are not readily available.

Conservatives bring up “open borders” when they are flummoxed by a lack of knowledge and valid arguments about dealing with immigrants. It’s a bullcrap diversion because border security isn’t being discussed at the time. It is a sign one has nothing of value to say on the subject and is going for a fall back position.

You can’t support a sane legal immigration program unless you bother to educate yourself about how it works and the reality on the ground. Something next to non existent with current conservative thinking on the subject.

Unlike the authoritarian Obama, this president actually wants to uphold the constitution.

Poppycock! All presidents use executive orders to bypass Congress. Several of Trump’s XOs have been stalled or limited in federal courts and might not pass muster in the Supreme Court. But DACA does need to be formalized and passed by Congress. I wonder if the WH is hoping Congress will deadlock on it or do they want it to pass?

Perhaps part of the solution is to have an effective plan for investing in our citizens so they can qualify for these positions that right now require people from elsewhere because “skills or education” is not available. Sounds like a better option to me. More citizens employed, more production, less on public assistance.

You know we can only keep borrowing money from China for so long. Eventually even that bank is going to run dry.